UFCW Blog

May 21, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Marc Perrone, international president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), released the following statement regarding the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R. 2), also known as the Farm Bill, failing to pass the U.S. House of Representatives.

“This Farm Bill was flawed and deserved to be defeated.

“The most common jobs in our country are retail jobs where work schedules are uncertain and vary widely from week to week. If this bill had become law, someone who works hard could have lost access to food simply because their employer cut their hours.

“We urge members of Congress to go back to the drawing board, and work together to craft a Farm Bill that doesn’t punish hard-working families, protects jobs, and actually makes life better in the communities we call home.”

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The UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries.

Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.

May 16, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Marc Perrone, international president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), released the following statement regarding news that Amazon Go stores, which replace cashiers with technology, would be opening in Chicago and San Francisco.

“This isn’t about technology or convenience, this is about Amazon’s and Jeff Bezos’ greed.

“Amazon’s unchecked expansion of this job-killing store concept should be of great concern to everyone who lives and works in America.

“It is time for elected leaders to stop being fooled by Amazon’s HQ2 search and see this company for what it really is – a monopoly that threatens millions of American jobs and hard-working families.”

BACKGROUND

According to Bloomberg, the Amazon Go store concept saves customers just 50 seconds and employs up to three fewer people compared with the average U.S. convenience store.

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The UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries.

Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.

May 10, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), released the following statement regarding the White House bringing major U.S. companies together for a summit about artificial intelligence (AI).

“The threat of joblessness due to increased automation is massive and it is beyond time we all came together to discuss solutions.

To most companies, the desire to automate jobs is not about increasing productivity or improving the service experience; it’s about maximizing profit by eliminating labor costs.

A strong and functioning society does not exist unless there are jobs for people to earn a living, support a family and build a better life.

We hope today’s summit is a start towards harnessing technology so that it creates better jobs and an economy that enriches us all, rather than a chosen few.”

BACKGROUND

A report by McKinsey Global Institute predicts that automation could eliminate up to 73 million jobs by 2030.

A report by Cornerstone Capital Group found that nearly 50 percent of today’s 16 million retail jobs could be replaced by automation in the coming decade.

A report by PwC concluded that automated robots could replace four in ten U.S. jobs.

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The UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries.

Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.

May 3, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over 6,500 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union family who work in pork plants submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in opposition to a proposed rule that would increase the line speeds where they work, threatening both them and the consumers they serve. Marc Perrone, international president of the UFCW, released the following statement as the comment period for this rule ended:

“The American people and our members are clear – faster line speeds in pork plants will lead to more workplace injuries and less safe food.

“The hard-working professionals employed in America’s pork plants are united in opposition to this proposed rule because they know better than anyone the harmful effects of increasing production speeds.

“We urge the USDA to hear their voices and rewrite this rule so that the people who work in pork plants and the millions they serve can all be kept safe.”

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The UFCW is one of the largest private sector unions in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries.

Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.

April 26, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), responded to a federal judge ruling that the Trump administration’s elimination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was unlawful and that new applications must be accepted if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cannot provide a legally sufficient explanation for termination within 90 days.

The UFCW joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)’s suit, along with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), as co-plaintiffs against President Trump, Attorney General Jefferson Sessions, DHS Secretary Elaine Duke, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security in September 2017.

“Protecting people who’ve earned the right to live here is what DACA is truly about. Ending DACA was always the wrong choice to make for our communities, workplaces, and neighborhoods.

“Today’s decision shows how important it is to stand up and fight for millions of young people and their families who make this country better every day.

“Our union family will not rest until Congress delivers a bipartisan, sensible legislative fix to end this nightmare of uncertainty for DACA recipients and TPS holders.”

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The UFCW is the largest private sector unions in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries.

Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.

April 18, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), released the following statement regarding the Farm Bill being passed out of the House Agriculture Committee. This bill currently limits access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps).

“This Farm Bill is bad for America and hard-working families. It needlessly denies large numbers of people access to affordable food and should be opposed by any elected leader who truly cares about making our country a better place to live.

“A majority of adults on SNAP already work hard every day. Creating stricter work requirements is simply cover for installing cuts that will seriously harm hard-working families and the places they live.

“From the food processing plant, to the distribution center, to the checkout lane at the grocery store, SNAP consistently creates sustainable jobs in every community. The changes proposed to it in this bill directly threaten our economy and good jobs across America.

“We urge members of Congress to do what is right and vote against any Farm Bill that would make it harder for Americans to work and feed themselves and their families.”

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The UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries.

Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.

April 12, 2018

Washington, D.C. – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), one of the largest private sector unions in America, endorsed the revival of The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

Founded by Rev. Dr. William Barber II and Rev. Liz Theoharis, the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary, and hundreds of local and national grassroots groups, this campaign is uniting tens of thousands of people across the country to challenge systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation, and the nation’s distorted morality.

Marc Perrone, president of the UFCW International, released the following statement regarding the endorsement:

“The Poor People’s Campaign believes, as our union family does, that our economy can and should work better for everyone.

“Telling the millions of people who are struggling alone, to work harder, complain less, or pray more won’t work.

“Wage inequality, the assault on voting rights, underemployment, and the attacks on immigrant and refugee communities are all part of a systemic effort to disenfranchise poor communities.

“We’re proud to support The Poor People’s Campaign because, if successful, it will bring hard-working families more power to build better lives.”

On Tuesday, April 10, 2019, the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) released The Souls of Poor Folk, an audit of America 50 years after Dr. King and many others launched the original Poor People’s Campaign to challenge racism, poverty, and a host of other intersected issues.

The report, which was presented at the National Press Club by IPS with support from the Urban Institute, shows that, in many ways, we are worse off than in 1968. Legislative actions and legal decisions have gutted the Voting Rights Act and severely restricted the ability of people of color, women, and young people to vote. There are 15 million more people living in poverty and nearly eight times as many inmates in state and federal prisons.

The trips have also helped prepare organizers in the states for the upcoming 40 days of action, which will conclude with a mass mobilization at the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, June 23.

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The UFCW is one of the largest private sector unions in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries.

Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.

April 5, 2018

Company, union collaboration called a model for the food industry

Dakota Dunes, S.D. — April 5, 2018 — Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) are expanding their collaborative efforts to make workplace safety improvements at the company’s food processing plants and commemorating 30 years of working together for safer workplaces.

The three decades-long partnership is one union leaders call a model for the food industry. It began in 1988, with the launch of a landmark ergonomics program and has evolved to include improvements that have helped reduce workplace injuries and illnesses. While the primary focus has been Tyson Foods’ beef and pork operations, it is now being expanded to the company’s poultry business, which has been accelerating its workplace safety efforts in recent years.

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made through our collaboration with the UFCW, and especially the active involvement of frontline team members,” said Steve Stouffer, president of Tyson Fresh Meats. “We know that all of us must remain diligent if we’re to achieve additional improvements.”

“We value the progress we’ve made at Tyson and are looking forward to expanding our partnership to create safer workplaces for all of their hard-working men and women,” said Mark Lauritsen, director of the UFCW’s Food Processing, Packing and Manufacturing Division. “Working together with Tyson has meant empowering workers and their union to make a better, safer workplace.”

Examples of the company’s and union’s collaborative efforts include:

Plant safety audits by management and union representatives

Ergonomics and safety committees that enable frontline workers and their union to regularly meet with plant management on safety matters

Empowering frontline workers to stop the production line if a safety or ergonomics issue is detected

Project “Why Not,” which encourages management and frontline workers and their union to re-evaluate job functions for ergonomic improvement

“Captains of the Week,” who are workers allowed to leave the production line for one hour every day for a week to gain in depth exposure to safety and ergonomics programs

“We’ve worked hard over the years to create a culture where everyone is comfortable to speak up about safety issues,” said Sherry Louk, a nine-year Tyson Foods veteran and safety captain at the plant in Perry, Iowa. “Because we all want the safest workplace possible, there is an environment of empowerment where we can be honest about safety concerns and fix them before somebody gets hurt. At Tyson, I can say ‘I’ve got your back’ because the company and the union have mine.”

The next step in the company-union relationship is increased focus on the company’s poultry plants, where the UFCW represents workers at 12 locations.

“We value our frontline team members who are crucial to the continued success of our poultry businesses,” said Doug Ramsey, group president of poultry, Tyson Foods. “While we have existing programs to help train and protect our people and give them a voice in the workplace, we look forward to working more closely with the UFCW on additional ways we can improve.”

The UFCW currently represents more than 24,000 people employed by Tyson Foods or its subsidiaries.

About Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp® and State Fair®. Tyson Foods innovates continually to make protein more sustainable, tailor food for everywhere it’s available and raise the world’s expectations for how much good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has 122,000 team members. Through its Core Values, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team members and serve as a steward of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit TYSONFOODS.COM.

About the UFCW

The UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries.

Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.

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February 15, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union, issued the following statement regarding the White House asking Congress for $30 million this year to test the “America’s Harvest Box” proposal in President Trump’s fiscal 2019 budget. This proposal would significantly change the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps).

“Whether you are Republican or Democrat, pro-union or not, shop at a big grocery store or a small local co-op, ‘America’s Harvest Box’ is one of the worst policy proposals ever made to address hunger and poverty. It will further worsen the economic divide across the country and must be stopped for the sake of the better America we all believe in.

“The harvest box proposal punishes the poor, removes significant sales from local grocery stores, and needlessly puts millions of good grocery store jobs at risk of being eliminated.

“The grocery stores our members work in are often the largest employers in their communities, and provide the wages and benefits necessary for hard-working families to build and live better lives.”

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The UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries.

Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.

January 30, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union, released the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to deny the National Chicken Council’s (NCC) petition to eliminate line speed limits at poultry plants.

“This decision is a victory for hard-working poultry workers who hold one of the most dangerous and difficult jobs in America, and the consumers who depend upon them to provide chicken that is safe to eat. However, we remain concerned that poultry companies can request line speed waivers for individual plants.

“In addition to putting poultry workers at greater risk of injury, eliminating line speeds puts consumers at risk by making it more difficult for both federal inspectors and quality control workers to properly check birds for contamination.

“It was unbelievable to see major poultry industry groups ignore these well-known risks and lobby the USDA to eliminate line speeds.”

Thousands of UFCW members who work in poultry plants sent comments to the USDA about the dangers of this petition. The UFCW also sent letters in October and December of 2017 to the USDA that highlighted how risky the NCC petition to eliminate line speeds would be for both workers and consumers. There are more than 250,000 poultry workers in America and 70,000 of them are members of the UFCW union family.

BACKGROUND

The Government Accountability Office released a report in December of 2017 that confirmed that forcing lines to move faster will expose poultry workers to higher rates of injuries and illnesses.

In addition to worker risks, countries with higher line speeds have higher rates of foodborne contamination in poultry plants.

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The UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries.

Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.